Independence vote a no-go, Rubalcaba tells Catalan party

The leader of the main opposition Socialist Party (PSOE), Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, on Tuesday said he could not support arguments that Catalonia has the right to decide on whether or not it wants to remain part of Spain.

The ruling center-right Catalan nationalist CiU group and its partner, the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), have agreed to hold a vote on self-determination for the region in 2014.

Speaking at a closed session of the PSOE's executive committee after listening to arguments from the Catalan branch of the Socialist Party (PSC), Rubalcaba said the group should oppose all moves toward holding the referendum.

The former interior minister under Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said the Socialists' priority above the independence issue should be in opposing the economic growth and employment models pursued by the ruling Popular Party. According to those present at the meeting, the Socialist leader received support for his stance.

Rubalcaba said the focus should also be on defining a new territorial model, which is expected to culminate in a blueprint for a transition toward a federal system of government.

The party will invite proposals in this respect from its members and supporters, which will be incorporated into a series of conventions the party is due to hold on Europe, economic growth, the country's productive model, tax issues and institutional reform. A meeting on these issues will be held every month from February to June.